CR Spec White Clio 172

[Ricardo]

Well, after viewing a white Renault Clio 172 shell I decide to take the plunge and get involved in another project. I’ve really enjoyed driving and modifying the blue Clio 172 over the last two and a half years so buying this white shell with the Clio Cup rollcage seemed like the next logical step. The blue 172 is now a donor for the white shell, it seems a shame to do it but it makes sense as I know the car inside and out. Mechanically bar the gearbox it’s never let me down, along the way I’ve changed many components so I know that nearly everything going on the white shell isn’t over two years old.

So, this is how the white 172 evolves from a bare shell to a fully track prepped car.

Friday 4th March

Right, so we head to Suffolk in the Transit van towing a car trailer to pick up the Clio shell. Within 2 hours of being there we’ve attached all the dampers and wheels on the shell to roll it the trailer. By 3pm we’re back home and it now proudly sits on the driveway, this is where all the work will happen.

[Ricardo]

Saturday 5th March

Stickers! First job is to remove every trace of stickers off the shell, I hate them and want this car to look crisp and clean, minimal looks, understated. So with the trusty Nicky Clarke hairdryer (borrowed!) I attack the stickers all on 4 sides of the car.





Stickers removed it’s time to give it a wash, probably the first time it’s been cleaned in months. Now that’s done we’re left with glue residue sticker outlines, so with the help of AutoGlym tar and bug remover I set to work. So far so good, by the close of play Saturday the shell is back to being white.

[Ricardo]

Sunday 6th March

Now it’s time to use AutoGlym super resin polish and buff the entire shell to remove any trace of stick outline marks. Ideally it could do with a machine polish but with a bit of elbow grease it cleans up really well. The door shut rubbers are removed and the shuts on the doors and the boot are polished. Next the interior is hovered then polished as well. Sunday draws to end, the only thing left to clean is the front bumper and grill which has months of road kill on it.

[Ricardo]

Tuesday 8th March

Time to wash the bugs of the font bumper, mild scrubbing with hot soapy water helps, more polish afterwards and it’s looking much better. The bumper is the worst panel with a few scratches, money permitting I’d like to have it sprayed but that can wait for now.

Wednesday 9th March

Out comes the power jet wash, I give all the inner arches a good clean in preparation for painting with white smooth Hammerite. The plastic inner arches will be fitted back as well.

Thursday 10th March

Ordered parts today, Powerflex wishbone and dogbone mount polybushes along with 2 sets of rear negative camber shims.

[Ricardo]

Sunday 13th March

The shell is put on 4 axle stands and wheels removed, this give me the option on whether to leave the subframes on or swap them with the blue Clio. Matt from Code Red is coming over today to start work too. The first big job to tackle will be the electrics. There are 3 looms at the front of the shell and 2 of them have been cut about. As part of the deal with buying the white shell it also came with 3 complete and uncut looms from another Clio 172. The headlight is a straight swap, the engine loom is complete but will be changed as the battery will be located in the boot so the loom will be adjusted to suit.

The loom that will require the most work is the interior loom, as this will be a track based car I won’t be having any of the creature comforts that come in most cars as standard issue. So all the airbag wiring will go, so will all the stereo wiring, electric window wiring, and more.

[Ricardo]

Monday 14th March

Polybushes and camber shims arrive in the post, the wishbones are taken off the subframe.

[Ricardo]

Tuesday 15th March

Ordered new solid top suspension mounts

Wednesday 16th March

Pop into Renault dealership to order all the fixings that hold the bumper, front gill and plastic inner arches in place.

Thursday 17th March

Solid top mounts arrive in the post, Matt from Code Red has sourced some manual window mechanisms, tailgate strut and decoder ring from his local breakers. I head up near Clacton to pick up 4 Yokohama Parada Spec 2 tyres I’ve bought off a forum to go on the painted OZ wheels.

[Ricardo]

Saturday 19th March

Second full day on the project, this gives me the chance to do some running about sorting more bits and a chance to work on the shell. The local scrap yard have interior door handles, window rubber and an indicator stalk, bought. Next stop the local alloy wheel and tyre place to fit the tyres to my OZ wheels, not good as 1 is flat spotted. In the end I only have 2 of the tyres fitted so this gives me the chance to fit them to the Clio to see how it looks. Then pop into Renault to pick up the parts i ordered the other day



Back at home I fit the door handles and indicator stalk. Then i mock fit the OZ wheel i painted to see how the metallic grey will look on the white shell





Next it’s time to white Hammerite the inner arches, these will probably need 3 or 4 coats but even after the first coat it looking much better than the grubby brown.

[Ricardo]

Clio Cup cage pics

[Adey aka Ewok]

looking real good bud, but whats cr stand for?

[Ricardo]

Sunday 20th March

Give the inner arches a second coat of Hammerite white, while that’s going off I remove the dogbone mount ready to have the bushes pressed out for the new ones. A few more pics.

Inner arches







Interior door handle



Indicator stalk



Interior loom untouched

[Ricardo]

Everything you see above has all taken place in the last 2 weeks, the idea is to fully prep the shell so it's ready to start having the parts fitted from the blue Clio. There will be more parts ordered in the next week but the next main stage is to buy a cheap runabout car to take the place of the blue Clio so i can still be mobile throughout the project. When this happens it's all systems go to start stripping the blue Clio

Anyway, i hope you like what you see and enjoy the updates

[dangerous dave]

looking good and the wheels look

[Ricardo]

Wednesday 23rd March

After finding out 1 of the OZ wheels is buckled i source another alloy from a breakers in Doncaster. Silly on my behalf as i should have checked BEFORE painting

Friday 25th March

Wheel delivered via courier, will give me something to do again in the wheel department

Sunday 27th March

Matt from Code Red is over again today

Time to cut EVERYTHING not needed from the interior loom, now is the time to be harsh and remember that it is a track/2nd car. Heater-AC-Climate control loom, airbag wires, stereo and speaker wires. NO central locking, electric windows, rear windscreen wiper, rear demister.

12V is kept, OBD is in, Hazard switch stays

By the end of the day we fill up a carrier bags worth of wires and plug connectors. The loom is put roughly in place ready to be tidied up but we have it near where we want. It still looks like a birds nest of wires but not half as much there now.



Window winder mechanisms are fitted, also the ignition decoder and tailgate strut. We tried to get away with using just 1 strut but it's not quite enough.



Tuesday 29th March

Ordered white Aerocatch quick release bonnet catches and they turn up today. I've also ordered some replica Clio Cup race door handle spacers, as there is no doorcard fitted there is a void between the door and the handle so they moulded some spacers to fit.





Wednesday 30th March

I have some spare time so i unpack the OZ wheel from it's packaging, the worst part is the outer rim edge wheel, it's badly scuffed. Other than the spokes slightly chipped i don't think it will take long having it flatted back, filled then re sanded



Matt has taken the wishbones and dogbone mount away to press in the uprated polybushes.









Thursday 31st March

The Sabelt 4 point harnesses arrive today along with the clio cup replica door handle spacer moulds. Today the decision has been made that the Clio will come off the road next Monday, the insurance runs out that night and the tax runs out the end of April.

[Brigsy]

Looks nice and fresh now the stickers are off mate! will make a nice track weapon

[Ricardo]

Looks nice and fresh now the stickers are off mate! will make a nice track weapon

Thanks Brigsy, really pleased with how it's coming along. I'm trying to cover all bases in every department i.e suspension, brakes, wheels, interior, exterior. In that everything that goes on is in decent condition if used already and new or uprated parts are fitted wherever available. Finances allowing nothing will be left to chance and will not leave the driveway until i'm 99.9% happy

Then it's track time to give it a shakedown to see how it all performs together

[Adey aka Ewok]

have the sleeves for the wishbone bushes been tacked into place?

[Ricardo]

have the sleeves for the wishbone bushes been tacked into place?

They will be mate, 3 tacks on each sleeve. Just need to buy the ARB polybshes then the whole set is done. Also on the lookout for solid top engine mounts as well

Also making a PMT tow eye too, touring car style

[SP33DY]

You decided what engine tuning route your going down yet?

[Adey aka Ewok]

cool cool, looks good, getting to the point where i might do the same with mine and buy a runaround, any idea on the weight of it?

[Matt@CodeRedMotorsports]

have the sleeves for the wishbone bushes been tacked into place?

Will be in a min......
Matt.

[Ricardo]

You decided what engine tuning route your going down yet?

I used most of the turbo budget buying the white shell. If i was to go down the turbo route still, i'd have to make that choice soon as the engine and all ancillaries would be going in. Ideally the turbo manifold, turbo and sump with oil feed and return would all be bolted to the engine before dropping into place.

Long term i could go N/A this year and maybe build up a turbo engine throughout the year. Enjoy the Clio in 2011 then maybe turbo it over the winter or new year 2012.

For now though there's enough going on

[markey b]

looks much better sans stickers! only thing it needs is ph2 rear lights :-)

[elcie]

Awesome car, Love the cage.

[Ricardo]

looks much better sans stickers! only thing it needs is ph2 rear lights :-)

Yep phase 2 rear lights are going on once the blue Clio is off the road next week

[markey b]

Yep phase 2 rear lights are going on once the blue Clio is off the road next week

good lad
ph2 front end would look immense in white too

[Ricardo]

good lad
ph2 front end would look immense in white too

Personally i think a phase 1 in white looks just as good.

As of tomorrow the Blue Clio comes off the road after 2 and a half years of enjoyable ownership, i took it out for it's last spirited drive this afternoon. Sad in 1 way but in another looking forward to driving the white 1, in theory it should be a better drive with the upgrades taking place.

So, this week i'll be taking parts off the blue Clio and fitting them to the white shell, hopefully by the end of this week it will look more the finished article exterior wise. Headlights, plastic side trims, phase 2 rear lights, foglight ducts will all be going on.

Still haven't shifted the carbon bonnet, was hoping it would sell to fund parts i still need like solid top engine mounts, ARB polybushes. The OZ wheel i bought from Cliospares is also buckled so they're sending another down.

I should have more pics by the end of the week showing the changes

[Ricardo]

Monday 4th April

Blue Clio is now officially off the road, the insurance ran out the 5th April and the tax runs out the end of April so it's worked out just right. This means i can start taking parts off it and fitting them to the white shell.

Phase 2 rear lights, plastic side trims, clear side repeaters, headlight are fitted

Markey B









Tuesday 5th April

Other headlight fitted and more parts stripped off the blue Clio

Plastic rear inner arch liners are taken off, cleaned and fitted to the white shell, the drivers inner is painted Hammerite white. I also mock up a wheel on the front end to give me an idea of how they're going to look





The replica Clio cup door handle spacers are also fitted, nothing a little trim Dremel style bit won't sort out as it's a tight fit internal and i wanted them to sit properly in place.

Trimming the inner lip



Now fitted

[Adey aka Ewok]

looking good bud, you going to get it weighed once its built? i was quite suprised to see how much a mates tin top clio weighs in at. think its time i down size to get that power to weight up some more

[Ricardo]

looking good bud, you going to get it weighed once its built? i was quite suprised to see how much a mates tin top clio weighs in at. think its time i down size to get that power to weight up some more

Cheers mate, yeah i'll get it weighed when it's all done. The beauty is i bought the shell with all the tar and sound deadening already removed, obviously no interior like rear seats, plastics etc. The loom chopped right right back to only what i need like indicators, horn, lights, ecu, ancillaries.

I don't know what the kerb weight is for a std phase 1 Clio 172, to be honest it's not something i'm chasing (being the lightest 172) but fortunate to be in a situation where i literally started with the bare shell so i only add in what i need to use.

What i lack in outright power i'm trying to make up in the suspension, handling departments.

Fingers crossed it will make such a difference after upgrading all the bushes, engine mounts, negative camber and toe out front and rear, adjustable damping set up.

Once it's all done it's going to Brands Hatch for shakedown

[Ricardo]

Loads of things happening over the last 2-3 weeks and losing track of what and when i did it

Good Friday was the last major push of work on the car, mission, to get it back on all 4 wheels. Shoppers popped over, Matt too and between us we did it.

Lets go back a week or 2.

More work is done on the interior loom, all unwanted wires are traced back to their plastic connectors and pulled out. This has slimmed down the loom big time, there's no loom or anything associated heater and pollen filter wise left inside the scuttle either.

The K Tec front suspension solid top mounts are drilled and fitted to the turrets



The K Tec coilover kit is taken off the blue clio, cleaned up and sold on. The white Speedline wheels are also cleaned up and sold on too. This is to fund the single biggest purchase yet on this project.... The FK Konigsport coilover kit. This will now allow me to have adjustable ride height, adjustable damping and also adjustable negative camber up front.



In between waiting for the coilovers to arrive direct from Germany i decide to paint the wheels yet again, this is the 3rd time now and hopefully the last. I wasn't happy with the finish on the mettalic grey so i not only sand them back smooth but also go for another colour change. So that's orange, to grey.... and now to gloss black.







I also sand down the wishbones and spray them Hammerite satin black, once they're dry i press the polybushes in place. Before fitting the wishbones back on i degrease the front subframe so it's nice and clean.









Another thing i've been wanting to do for a while is change the colour of the lettering on my bucket seats, it's been bugging me that they're orange and to me won't look right in the car with a red cage. So with the missus on hand and a spare 10 mins she works her magic on the stitching







So with the 12 hour marathon workout on the Good Friday this is where we are with the Clio







The seats are just sitting in the shell at the moment, also not sure whether to go with the carbon bonnet, i like the white 1 but the carbon bonnet is 3.7kgs lighter

[James5]

Rich looking good defo stick with the carbon bonnet looks much better than just being white and as you say it's lighter aswell

[BluntyR5GTT]

looking real good matey

[Ricardo]

Rich looking good defo stick with the carbon bonnet looks much better than just being white and as you say it's lighter aswell

The weight is a plus, the only thing i'm not sure of doing is cutting into the carbon bonnet to fix the quick release aerocatches

[Brigsy]

Looks superb mate Will she be ready for national day?

[Lomo]

Beautiful Rich!

[tubby5]

Looks awesome mate,I would defo stick with carbon bonnet

[James5]

The weight is a plus, the only thing i'm not sure of doing is cutting into the carbon bonnet to fix the quick release aerocatches

Oh yeah, just take it very slow and easy matey don't want to split the carbon

[Ricardo]

Thanks for the comments peeps.

That's the plan Brigsy, all coolant hoses are loose in the blue Clio, all bar the engine mounts, loom, driveshaft, gearstick shift coming off (2hrs work) the engine is ready to come out. Once it's out it'll have a new cambelt, dephaser pulley and aux belt fitted. A lick of paint on the block, ported, matched inlet manifolds fitted then it should be able to drop in on the white clio

It's close..... there's still more to do on the interior loom, the battery will go in the back so the engine loom will be modified to suit too. Induction wise it'll be ram air from the foglight duct to the inlet.

Also a big thanks to Matt who makes the trip over from Kent to work on it

[Ricardo]

Oh yeah, just take it very slow and easy matey don't want to split the carbon

Well there is that to it, i was also thinking it's a crime to drill through £400 worth of bonnet when i'm not 100% sure i like it on there. The bonnet sold would pay for the new cambelt etc but it is lighter... and a crime to paint it white too

[James5]

Well there is that to it, i was also thinking it's a crime to drill through £400 worth of bonnet when i'm not 100% sure i like it on there. The bonnet sold would pay for the new cambelt etc but it is lighter... and a crime to paint it white too

Drill it

Eat pasta bake for a few days to save for that cambelt kit and cut down on the ole beers

What you need is a pic of the white bonnet on the clio as it is now and put it side by side the pic of the carbon bonnet, I personally think the carbon bonnet is awesome and helps make it look different to other 172's

[The new Bill J]

I personally think the carbon bonnet is awesome and helps make it look different to other 172's

Surely the fact that it's white makes it look different to other 172's?

I've got to say Rickaay; I'm not a fan of carbon bonnets, or black wheels, but they both look pretty damn good on that car

[James5]

Surely the fact that it's white makes it look different to other 172's?

I've got to say Rickaay; I'm not a fan of carbon bonnets, or black wheels, but they both look pretty damn good on that car

[Adey aka Ewok]

sex wee buddy, looks awesome. need to pull my finger out on mine, need to order up a new dash before it all goes back together. outa intrest what does the carbon item weigh in at? i might pop my ali one off and weigh it

[Ricardo]

sex wee buddy, looks awesome. need to pull my finger out on mine, need to order up a new dash before it all goes back together. outa intrest what does the carbon item weigh in at? i might pop my ali one off and weigh it

Cheers Adey,

Carbon bonnet: 8.3kgs
Steel bonnet: 12kgs

[James5]

Defo stick with carbon bonnet

[T.K]

Looks awesome.

[r5 rich]

rich let me know when you need the engine hoist mate and I will see if I can work my magic for you

[Ricardo]

rich let me know when you need the engine hoist mate and I will see if I can work my magic for you

I reckon for this weekend Rich if that's ok

[Penfold aka The Dealer]

I reckon for this weekend Rich if that's ok

Crack on mate.... car looked sweet as last weekend